Check it out here-

http://www1.vg.no/spill/artikkel.php?artid=525609

Here is a google translation -

Six years ago, traveled a gang Norwegian boys to Greece to create online "Darkfall Online." Now, at last bearing fruit work.

-- We have focused most of what we believe to be fun with online, and cut out everything we think are boring, "says Claus Grovdal to VG Nett.

See also: Realized spilldrømmen
See also: The all-Greek for the Norwegian spillselskap

"Darkfall" is now in the final testing phase, and this week an invitation for beta testing and a long gameplay video (see at the top of the case) announced. The Norwegian-Greek developers are betting now on a launch before Christmas, and Grovdal feel assured that they have something to come up with the beintøffe competition with games like "World of Warcraft" and "Age of Conan."

-- We have removed karakterklasser, and allow our players define how they want to play, with full opportunity to change things along the way if they want to try something new. We have also removed levels and made all karakterprogresjon based on skills, "says Grovdal, who adds:

-- This means that the players are freer to do what they like best, and they are not pressured to do quests that seem meaningless, or to kill endless amounts of enemies unless it is something they want to.

Photo: AVENTURINE
Grovdal says that freedom for the player has been their mantra during development. They want to deliver an online role-playing game without a tight rein.

-- You can sail around by warships, build your own city, conquer other's cities, create and sell rustninger and weapons to the highest bidder, living off fishing or hunting far out in the ødemarka, beat you up as landeveisrøver, found in mining, be it best bueskytteren, sverdsvingeren or magician and rent out your services to the highest bidder, "says Grovdal.

-- The possibilities are enormous, and it will certainly not go many days leading up to the players to come up with career opportunities, we have never thought of, "he adds.

-- How do you like to work and live in Greece?

-- It is clear it's tough to be so long away from family and friends, so it takes a little bit. But then it helps in good mood that it is the sun and summer, almost the entire year, "says Grovdal.

Originally posted by Aragon100

"Darkfall" is now in the final testing phase, and this week an invitation for beta testing and a long gameplay video (see at the top of the case) announced. The Norwegian-Greek developers are betting now on a launch before Christmas, and Grovdal feel assured that they have something to come up with the beintøffe competition with games like "World of Warcraft" and "Age of Conan."

Yummy.

You're lucky I like you Aragon

Posted this twice (put it in the suggestion section by accident first).  But it was at odd hours for us yanks so it didnt get much love.

Ill leave my comments again though cause im bored.  Great to see they are still on track for an 08 release, meaning they are confident about an October beta.  Even if that doesnt happen, I am glad to see they are getting into marketing mode.

Originally posted by originalegg

You're lucky I like you Aragon

Posted this twice (put it in the suggestion section by accident first).  But it was at odd hours for us yanks so it didnt get much love.

Ill leave my comments again though cause im bored.  Great to see they are still on track for an 08 release, meaning they are confident about an October beta.  Even if that doesnt happen, I am glad to see they are getting into marketing mode.

 

Smile. =)

Originally posted by Aragon100

Check it out here-

http://www1.vg.no/spill/artikkel.php?artid=525609

Here is a google translation -

Six years ago, traveled a gang Norwegian boys to Greece to create online "Darkfall Online." Now, at last bearing fruit work.

-- We have focused most of what we believe to be fun with online, and cut out everything we think are boring, "says Claus Grovdal to VG Nett.

See also: Realized spilldrømmen
See also: The all-Greek for the Norwegian spillselskap

"Darkfall" is now in the final testing phase, and this week an invitation for beta testing and a long gameplay video (see at the top of the case) announced. The Norwegian-Greek developers are betting now on a launch before Christmas, and Grovdal feel assured that they have something to come up with the beintøffe competition with games like "World of Warcraft" and "Age of Conan."

-- We have removed karakterklasser, and allow our players define how they want to play, with full opportunity to change things along the way if they want to try something new. We have also removed levels and made all karakterprogresjon based on skills, "says Grovdal, who adds:

-- This means that the players are freer to do what they like best, and they are not pressured to do quests that seem meaningless, or to kill endless amounts of enemies unless it is something they want to.

Photo: AVENTURINE
Grovdal says that freedom for the player has been their mantra during development. They want to deliver an online role-playing game without a tight rein.

-- You can sail around by warships, build your own city, conquer other's cities, create and sell rustninger and weapons to the highest bidder, living off fishing or hunting far out in the ødemarka, beat you up as landeveisrøver, found in mining, be it best bueskytteren, sverdsvingeren or magician and rent out your services to the highest bidder, "says Grovdal.

-- The possibilities are enormous, and it will certainly not go many days leading up to the players to come up with career opportunities, we have never thought of, "he adds.

-- How do you like to work and live in Greece?

-- It is clear it's tough to be so long away from family and friends, so it takes a little bit. But then it helps in good mood that it is the sun and summer, almost the entire year, "says Grovdal.

This game will stand on his own, it is not in competition with wow.

2 totally different games no comparison at all.

Its to hardcore to even get a fraction of what wow has for subs.

But my gues is at least 200 to 500k subs if enough can stand the harsh open pvp with full loot no save zones.

On other hand it will crush AoC!!!!

You know what, i hadn't even considered the idea of comparing this games success to AoC.

I mean AoC has been dropping customers at alarming rates, and the last rumored numbers I heard of ACTIVE players was around 250,000.  I know they officially released a 400,000 number not too long ago, but that included all sort of players who quit and were waiting on their subs to run out, or will quit before the next billing cycle, and also people in their first months.

I think its amazing that this small indy company has the POTENTIAL if everything goes well on launch and all the features are in to do a better job than AoC with all its hype and money behind the project being from a large company like Failcom.  250,000 is certainly not out of reach, even for a niche game. Especially with all that trash talk that happened between Tasos and AoC. 

I guess it may prove that there is no substitute for plain ol' development skill  (if DF lives up to the hype)

Originally posted by imbant

You know what, i hadn't even considered the idea of comparing this games success to AoC.

I mean AoC has been dropping customers at alarming rates, and the last rumored numbers I heard of ACTIVE players was around 250,000.  I know they officially released a 400,000 number not too long ago, but that included all sort of players who quit and were waiting on their subs to run out, or will quit before the next billing cycle, and also people in their first months.

I think its amazing that this small indy company has the POTENTIAL if everything goes well on launch and all the features are in to do a better job than AoC with all its hype and money behind the project being from a large company like Failcom.  250,000 is certainly not out of reach, even for a niche game. Especially with all that trash talk that happened between Tasos and AoC. 

I guess it may prove that there is no substitute for plain ol' development skill  (if DF lives up to the hype)

If DFO pulls this off, which I don't think they can but hope they do, it will boil down to one simple fact.  Management stuck to the guns of "it is done when it is done".  On the other hand, Failcom gave the keys to a $60 million project to a immature 24 year old and his lack of experience combined with no real power from upper management to control him because he was a founder of the company, led to AoC's downfall.  Without the experienced leadership from the top, AoC really didn't have the chance it needed to succeed that the IP should have had.  I really feel sorry for the employees of that company because it isn't their fault Guate is Guate.

So Claus thinks Darkfall is competition against WoW, which is a multi-million subscriber success due to it's pve, not pvp; and AoC which is failing so hard Hello Kitty Online will have more subscribers at launch than AoC has managed to keep up to now.

They use a game with a completely different market, and a game which is a dismal failure to judge how successful Darkfall will be.

Someone is a little screwed in the marketing area.

I would really like to see this game come out, found it like 6 years ago and followed if but gave up thinking it was just vaporware after a couple years. I'm downloading the gameplay movie now can't wait to see it.

I remember their moto back then was...made by gamers for gamers. Hope this one hits the mark.

This game will be a niche game for sure. FFA pvp and full loot is way too hardcore to appeal to the majority of the market. It will have its niche of oldschool UO and Shadowbane players who still have a hardon for those old games.

Originally posted by Zorvan

So Claus thinks Darkfall is competition against WoW, which is a multi-million subscriber success due to it's pve, not pvp; and AoC which is failing so hard Hello Kitty Online will have more subscribers at launch than AoC has managed to keep up to now.

They use a game with a completely different market, and a game which is a dismal failure to judge how successful Darkfall will be.

Someone is a little screwed in the marketing area.

I have trouble thinkin that he means it is going to do some real damage to WoW...in the sense that it will cripple it or something.

However I dont think it is far off to call it competition.

The biggest complaint i hear about WoW (and i played it for awhile) was that it was boring, repetitve and a grind fest with no meaningfull endgame.

Yes DF and WoW and completely different game styles, but DF does offer something a lot of WoW players want...something new.  And it is also set in a fantasy genre.  If the game goes well, it may not cripple wow, in fact there is 0 chance it will, but it may take enough away to be considered competition in the market.

Look at this!

Tasos said a few weeks ago they had made some small intervjues to mainstream media. And was he flamed for that.

Now, noone cared about this, the video is what everyone talks about.

I feel both glad and sad about it.

it's hard to see Darkfall competing with WOW directly, but then again, noone really knows the size of the PVP market for MMOs because there hasn't been a good PVP MMO in a long time.

200K+ players for Darkfall would be a huge success given the size of the development budget & team, and if Darkfall doesn't prove to be too violent on the PVEers, they'll probably get a lot more than 200K.